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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: rule · present · court · ground · pit · cap · field · lean

  1. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. lean — thin
  5. cap — of ice
  6. ground — crushed
  7. pit — a hole
  8. rule — government
  9. present — there
  10. court — of a king
  11. field — a subject
  12. present — the time now
  13. cap — a lid
  14. present — a gift
  15. ground — the earth
  16. cap — a hat
  17. field — farmland
  18. pit — in a race
  19. field — for sport
  20. court — for sport
  21. lean — to bend
  22. court — of law
  23. ground — a position
  24. pit — a fruit stone

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com